The name tourmaline comes from the Singhalese meaning “stone of many or mixed colors”. Of all the various kinds of tourmaline, Pink Tourmaline is one of the most highly colored and desired. Pink tourmaline gets its color saturation from the presence of lithium, which can render the stone blue, green, red, yellow, and the soft to rosy shades of pink. Tourmaline may also share colorations, such as in the “Watermelon” variety where a center pinkish-red core is surrounded by green. This bicolor variation may also appear in blocks and with slight smoky or clear tourmaline.

The delicate pink shading of Pink Tourmaline make it ideal for a young lady’s stone, or to set with greens, blues, and clear stones for spring and summer jewelry. Tourmaline contains long crystals, making it a prime stone for oval and rectangle cuts. Color may be enhanced by heat treating, which also removes some of the white inclusions for a purer gemstone. Pink tourmaline is often cut into round, oval, fan, teardrop, and heart shapes, also symbolizing its youthful appeal. The pink of tourmaline can run from truly rosy carnation tones to salmon to brownish ruby to violet-pink.

Cloudy Pink Tourmaline may be polished into cabochons for rings or earrings or even beads. The hazy look of white threads or inclusions makes for an exquisite stone in itself and is often faceted to show off the milky luster similar to moonstone. Clearer stones of excellent quality can be used in place of pink diamonds, pink sapphire, or pink spinel. Pink Tourmaline combined with pearl, quartz, topaz, aventurine, and jade makes for versatile spring and summer wear, while set with black, white and clear gemstones brings out the cooler tones of the pink for more formal designs.